I have a few confessions.

I'm a water snob. Perhaps, a water bottle snob, too.

I'm an aesthetic person. Creativity and productivity flows most freely when I am in an ordered lovely space.

My husband is this creative home and community builder. His {our} business is creating beautiful places to live. Our "research" often takes us to HOUZZ or Pinterest for ideas of imaginative dwellings. His tagline is "The fine art of neighborhood." We have been blessed to build and move MANY times, each time honing our skills of crafting the best use of warm inviting spaces. Hang with me. I'm going somewhere with this.

I am a water snob and perhaps a water bottle snob, too. I just may have the single largest quantity of glass and metal water bottles on the planet. Maybe a slight exaggeration but, honestly, we have a large laundry-basket-sized bin dedicated to water bottles in our pantry.

Over my lifetime, I have not been very monogamous when it comes to water bottles {and ONLY water bottles}. When I tire of a container, I seek a new one. Perhaps I hadn't yet found the perfect mate. {We are still talking water bottles, here.}

Back six months ago, I found myself without a water bottle; the lovely dwelling for my source of hydration. I put my keys in the same spot each time I get home. My shoes are in the same spot so I always know where they are. You might say I am a creature of habit. I keep track of {most} things, except my WB. This time. And I had finally found the one I was willing to settle down with until we were old. It was beautiful {ok, nice looking} and lived in my creative spaces so well with it's bright pop of color. We were happy.

After about a week without my regular pretty companion, my lips started to get dry. {This is one sign that your cells are getting dehydrated} You might say I felt out of sorts in my daily routine without my trusty friend. I tried using cups. Nope. I tried using the plastic WB my husband uses for biking. Nope. I tasted plastic. This just was working.

I, then realized that I needed that bright cheerful bottle to keep up the routine of drinking lots of water daily.

Finally, I ordered a new one knowing that this lost love was not returning to me. The writing was on the wall. I chose a larger one as my lost love was a tad too small for road trips to soccer games or my weekly trifecta of grocery store shopping.

One should have a functional, aesthetically-pleasing container or it won't become part of your lifestyle. Consider it an accessory. A water bottle is the new black?

Here are the top 6 things to look for when dating for the perfect water bottle:

1. Easy to clean

I need to get in there and clean it out, no hiding spaces where crud can build up. Using a baby bottle brush to clean inside your bottle is a great way to keep it free of anything but...water. This is a great brush for cleaning water bottles!

2. Cup holder friendly

A. Must. Have. That's all.

3. Wide mouth or narrow mouth?

Picture this: you are on your way to a place where you need to look reasonably put together. You grab a sip of water but go over a pothole only to find you have a river of water flowing down your formally presentable outfit. The wide mouth opening {WMO} seemed like a good idea at the time but you spill over the sides of your mouth when drinking. Rghhhhh. Narrow-mouthed openings provide the best drinking experience.

4. Quantity

It is a rare occasion when I leave home without water. Drinking it throughout the day is a natural thing. Make sure to get a bottle big enough to keep you hydrated for several hours. There is a balance between holding lots of water so fewer refills are needed and not feeling like you are lifting weights with each gulp. I, personally like the 24oz. size.

5. Chillin' out

While I like my water tepid (mostly), I do not like water hot as in has-sat-in-my-car-for-a few-hours-and-is-now-hot hot. So I rank a WB's ability to keep water at the same temp high on the list.

A note here: Do not make the mistake of thinking you can put coffee in your WB. No. No. No. It will forever taste of coffee. FOREVER. You've been warned.

6. Spill-proof

Because I take my water everywhere, it must NOT leak, at all!

So, I may have two favorites.

It keeps water cold for longer than you think possible plus, the mouth of the bottle is the PERFECT size so as not to spill even while driving. Yay! Yet the mouth is large enough to allow for cleaning and most ice cubes. The 25 oz. size seems the most functional.

Make sure to get the STONE COLLECTION as the finish is more durable. Much more durable. They have some lovely colors in the other options. Don't be drawn to their loveliness. Well, you can if you want but I bought one and it chipped after a week. It was dropped, yes but my stone collection one didn't chip even after a year. It was dropped, too.

HYDROFLASK is my second favorite* with an asterisk. I chose the narrow{er} mouth which is nice but still spillable when drinking. EXCEPT, they also have sports caps so there won't be any sloppy drinking and no more unscrewing the cap each time. That is a slight plus. The problem is that the sports cap can leak if not closed COMPLETELY. Again, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Make sure to close the sports cap all the way or it will leak. It keeps water nicely cold but SWELL might keep it colder longer. All Hydroflask bottles are made with a durable finish similar to the SWELL stone collection.

These WB range in price from $35-45 but are worth the investment in your health.

You can find the SWELL BOTTLE here, HYDROFLASK here, or a cheaper option here but I don't know how good the knock-offs are.

Purity.

I didn't really address my water snobbiness as far as purity of water. It will be saved for another time. But my favorite water purification "machine" (because that really is what it is) is the Berkey Water Filtration System. We have city water and this filters everything out so we always have fresh, safe drinking water. It is an amazing system.